Make Your Own Cleaning Products

Money is tight for everyone these days. Everything from gas to food has taken a sharp turn upwards. Even the most basic cleaning supply list can easily run over $30 at the Blue Springs Wal-Mart. Is there a way to cut back? There may not be a lot we can do about the price of gas or the cost of food, but there is a way to save money elsewhere.

Making your own cleaning supplies can be a breath of fresh air on a suffocating budget. Not only can it save money, in many cases it can be safer than the chemicals some cleaning supplies contain. Many of the recipes here are made of ingredients you already have.

Wood Cleaner

Grab a small spray bottle. Mix 1/2 t. olive oil with 1/2 c. vinegar or lemon juice. Lemon juice works great as a disinfectant and it odorizes. Spray and polish away.

Glass Cleaner

Grab a 16 oz. spray bottle. Mix 3 T. of ammonia and 1 T. white vinegar. Fill the rest of the spray bottle with water. You’ll have a streak-free shine in no time!

Kitchen Cleaner

The workhorse of any house. Fill a spray bottle with water then add a few squirts of your favorite liquid dish soap. Not too much, you do not want your counters covered in suds. The dish soap will cut through grease on hard surfaces and is a disinfectant.

Baby Wipes

They may not be what most people see as a cleaning supply, but as many parents know, baby wipes tend to get used for a little of everything. Many moms need an alternative to commercial wipes due to their baby’s sensitive skin. Kelly from Warrensburg, MO, says her son “is pretty sensitive and can't handle even the most sensitive store-bought wipes, so we have to make our own.”

There are a lot of different recipes for baby wipes, and I’ve tried a good number of them. Here is the one I found that worked best for me.

You’ll need a small tub to put the mix in. Make sure that you can fit an entire roll of paper towels lengthwise in it. Pour 4 c. water into the empty tub. Add 5 T. baby oil and 5 T. baby wash. If your little one has sensitive skin, be sure to use a wash that is free of dyes and perfumes. Mix thoroughly.

Now add the paper towel roll. I have found the best paper towels to use are the most sturdy and cloth-like, such as Viva. But you can experiment with your own brand to see how well it holds up. Slowly rotate the roll, ensuring that it gets equally soaked. This might involve a bit of squeezing to get the liquid all the way to the core. Let it sit a few hours. You’ll know they’re ready if you can easily pull out the cardboard middle. The only thing left is to unroll the wipes into containers. I like to use old plastic baby wipe containers. But jars or empty formula canisters work great too.

Cleaning Wipes

This is done basically the same as the baby wipes. Use a separate tub to avoid getting any cleaner chemicals in your batch of baby wipes. In your new tub, mix 4 c. water with 4 T. baby oil. Then add in 4 T. of your favorite all-purpose, concentrated cleaning solution. Mix thoroughly, then follow the same soaking steps as the baby wipes. I like to use mason jars, or reuse spaghetti jars for containers here. Whatever container you decide on, make sure it’s clean and disinfected before putting the wipes in.

A word of warning. Yes, some of these recipes are safe enough to drink, but be sure you take the same precautions with your homemade cleaning products as you would with any commercial cleaning chemicals.

The most important ingredient in any of these recipes is elbow grease. You may have to scrub a little harder with these cleaners. But as you watch your cash flow grow just a little each week, you will know it was well worth the effort.

Kerry Chafin is a freelance writer based in Independence, MO, and is a mother of three.